About XPRIZE

XPRIZE competitions change the world for the better by accelerating innovation life cycles, catalyzing markets, and energizing stakeholders.  

The XPRIZE Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to inspiring and incentivizing breakthroughs to the most critical challenges facing humanity. Since its beginning in 1994, the Foundation has been building and continues to build a vision of hope and abundance for humanity’s future by harnessing the power of innovators, technology, and resources.  

Through incentive prize competitions, XPRIZE enables people to create bold and transformative solutions that are scalable and drive real impact. XPRIZE competitions positively impact both the marketplace and humanity by addressing the market failures that have prevented significant breakthroughs across multiple sectors.  

An XPRIZE… 

sets an audacious but achievable goal that aims to overcome challenges deemed impossible. It tackles some of humanity's most pressing issues by redefining what is achievable and pushing the boundaries of human potential.  

defines and addresses a clear problem through extensive research, a design sprint, and a competition that catalyzes the development of the next breakthroughs to put humanity on the path toward a preferred future state for all. The desired outcome from an XPRIZE is clear and measurable, and the rules of the competition are transparent and easily understood.  

democratizes innovation by encouraging expert and nonexpert participation and multidisciplinary collaboration.  

catalyzes markets and revitalizes stagnant industries by increasing awareness of market failures and accelerating innovations to address them.  

is highly leveraged, with competing teams attracting and mobilizing investment capital, partner support, and new members in pursuit of the prize. Philanthropic dollars are thus magnified in support of a solution.  

Our first XPRIZE, the $10 million Ansari XPRIZE for private spaceflight, spurred an industry and created exponential breakthroughs. Since then we have provided over $140 million in incentives through these competitions. Each prize has created an industry-changing technology that brings us closer to a better, safer, more sustainable world.  

The use of incentive competitions, or prizes, to accelerate innovation goes back over 300 years, to when the British Admiralty launched the Longitude Prize in 1714 to find a better way to navigate our seas. In the years since, several well-known innovations have resulted from incentive competitions, including canning as a form of food preservation (a competition launched by Napoleon in 1795), modern plastics (the Billiard Ball Prize, 1863) and commercial aviation (the Orteig Prize, 1919).  

This is more than a job to us. When you work at XPRIZE, you’re making a positive impact on some of the biggest challenges facing our world. Whether you’re working in prize design or development, marketing and communications, stakeholder relations, business operations or any other department, you’re playing a critical role in turning the impossible into the possible.

Role Summary

The Specialist, Individual Giving for the XPRIZE Foundation is an exciting opportunity to join XPRIZE’s growing fundraising team. The successful candidate will have demonstrated success in client relationship management and communications; be an organized, hard-driving team player; and is a professional who thrives in a dynamic, entrepreneurial culture. 

Reporting to the Senior Director of Individual Giving, the Specialist, Individual Giving will support the Foundation’s efforts to grow its major gifts program by broadening its donor base and giving programs. The role will involve donor prospecting and research, pitch preparation, donor communications, and donor follow-up. The individual in the position will also work closely with other members of the Individual Giving team, including the Senior Director, to build, over time, her or his own portfolio of donors. 

Responsibilities

• Prospect for potential donors in support of XPRIZE's major gifts programs through desk research, network analysis, and events
• Research prospective and current donors in support of Individual Giving team's broader fundraising objectives
• Prepare for meetings with prospective and current donors, including preparation of background materials on donors, XPRIZE materials, and donor proposals
• Communicate with prospective and current donors through written, spoken, and in-person communication
• Under the guidance of Senior Director and Director of Individual Giving, begin, over time, to develop a major gifts portfolio
• Support donor engagement activities throughout the year, including planning and implementing XPRIZE’s annual Visioneering Conference and Innovation Adventure Trip
• Ensure positive and purposeful prospect and donor relations and stewardship
• Previous work in technology companies preferred
• Demonstrated academic success beyond secondary education preferred
• Working knowledge of SalesForce CRM preferred

Requirements

• Previous work in non-profit fundraising
• Knowledge of fundraising principles
• Working knowledge of Annual Fund and benefits-driven giving opportunities
• Comfort in building a portfolio through discovery visits and calls
• Excellent oral, written and interpersonal skills
• Strong problem solving, research and analytical skills
• Flexibility to work some evenings and weekends as well as travel

Come change the world with us.

XPRIZE Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to having a truly inclusive workforce. We do not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, marital status, age, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation or on the basis of actual or perceived gender as expressed through dress, appearance, or behavior.